The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the NFL received a stern warning from league officials on Thursday. It's in regards to player safety, but not actually on the field. It's regarding player's homes and residences. Athletes have consistently been targeted by burglars in 2024, and there has been a noticeable trend of these criminals targeting the homes of NFL players during their games. This is obviously a serious issue, as player's families could find themselves in harm's way.
The warning that was distributed from the NFL to all 32 teams was considered a security alert that went out to each team's security director, as well as the NFL's player union. This comes after several NFL players saw their homes get burgled within the last month, and it has been happening all over the country. Insider Tom Pelissero was the first to report of the warning sent out to the NFL teams.
"Sources say the FBI is investigating the crime wave as international organized crime," Pelissero wrote. "The league, the NFL Players Association and team security forces also have been monitoring the crime spree, which is believed to be tied to a South American crime syndicate. At least one other current NFL player's home was burglarized in the past week. 'It's legit,' said one source familiar with the situation. 'It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country.'"
This is obviously a very serious situation. No players or families have been harmed during these robberies, but it doesn't seem like anyone was home during the crimes. Hopefully this transnational crime ring gets taken down quickly so players can go back to just worrying about football, as any player in the league is certainly worried about the safety of their family amidst this crime spree.
Two of the players who were targeted by the crime ring are some of the most popular athletes in the world. It was the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Another player who saw their home get targeted was Linval Joseph of the Dallas Cowboys. Pelissero's report stated there were other players targeted who have not had their names disclosed. Mahomes spoke to the media about the situation, although he couldn't share much due to it being an active investigation.
"Yeah, I mean obviously it's frustrating," Mahomes said. "It's disappointing. I mean I can't get into too many details because the investigation is still ongoing, but obviously something that you don't want to happen to really anybody, but obviously yourself."
Mahomes and Kelce have both made a good amount of money throughout their careers, both on the field and through off-field deals and partnerships. It is clear why they are being targeted, but hopefully this organization gets shut down quickly so no other homes of athletes are targeted. Former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was a victim of a similar crime ahead of the 2023 season, when the quarterback had his car stolen with his playbook inside.
Steelers Must Protect Their Players
All of these robberies have happened while the homes of these athletes are empty. This is good as it means no one was in any danger at the time, despite the burglary still being disappointing. Pelissero reported about how these criminals know when to hit the house, and it has a lot to do with team schedules.
"Multiple people with knowledge of the crimes said the perpetrators are nonconfrontational and do not burglarize homes while residents are inside," Pelissero wrote. "Instead, they use public records to find players' addresses and conduct extensive surveillance. Then, by tracking team schedules and the social media accounts of players and their families, they wait until homes are empty, often during games, and gain access and quickly steal items such as cash, jewelry, watches and handbags, focusing mainly on master bedrooms and closets."
All NFL teams, including the Steelers, should likely keep team schedules and plans close to the vest. Team's usually do this anyway, but it is important to be extra cautious during this time as it seems a new house is hit every single week.
